The Best Sequential Art I Read Last Week – December 10 – December 16, 2014

I am a comic book collector and happy to be sure. I might say “proud” if I hadn’t, over a year ago, switched to reading digital as opposed to print comics. I feel a bit robbed of the tactile sensations of the hobby – of the turn of the page, the sneaking look to the panel a page over, the bagging and shorting and stacking and filing. Though I read my comics in a different medium than I used to, I still treat each Wednesday (comic book delivery day to specialty shops around the country) as different from the other days of the week. I subscribe and now, rather than go to the comic store to be handed the books pulled for my “Hold Slot,” I click a button on my iPad and watch them download.

Then I read them.

Rare is the week that I don’t read them all between Wednesdays and some weeks I have, well… let’s just say more comic books in my digital downloads than a grown man should. Comic book legend Will Eisner (creator of The Spirit) is one of the most influential men even to put pencil to drawing board in the pursuit of making comics. So influential was he that the industry awards (think the Oscars or the Emmys or the Grammys) are named The Eisner Awards. He called comic books “sequential art,” perhaps because he became embarrassed by his profession when he had to admit what he did for a living. This is my weekly reaction to the comics I read.

I read 11 comics last week: Batman Eternal #36, Batgirl #37, Amazing Spider-Man #11, Spider-Man and the X-Men #1, Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1, Avengers #39, Avengers and X-Men: Axis #7, Avengers World #16, Justice League United #7, Spider Verse Team Up #2 and Uncanny X-Men Annual #1.

The best comic I read last week was batman Eternal #36.

 

Batman Eternal has been published every week for the last 37 weeks and the quality has been… uneven at best. The art in this comic has suffered the most over the course of its run and, while Batman Eternal has featured a few heavy hitters (Jason Fabok and Dustin Nguyen among them), overall the art has been bad enough that it has detracted from the story. However, this week, artist Fernando Blanco has turned in some of his best work on the book. He’s not perfect and he loses composition in some panels, but he has improved in his handful of issues and this is his best work yet.

The story in this weekly is masterminded by Batman writer Scott Snyder and his writing partner James Tynion IV. They’ve had scripting help from a cadre of other comic authors but, as the series approaches its conclusion, it seems these two are taking more of a hand in the work. This is a good thing.

What makes this comic the best of the series thus far, and the best comic I read this week, is that it is appealing to my emotions. I love the extended Batman family – Batgirl, the Red Hood, Red Robin, Alfred and the rest – and the family is the backbone of this title. Batman and his allies have been torn apart in recent years, with the protegees of the Dark Knight turning their backs on their mentors. Snyder and Tynion are bringing them back together and expanding the Bat-universe and that’s a good thing.

I enjoyed this book this week, but am aware that I will likely struggle to remember it next week… perhaps my choice reflects a fairly bland selection of comics I read.

Perhaps.

The Best Sequential Art I Read Last Week – November 12 – November 18, 2014

I am a comic book collector and happy to be sure. I might say “proud” if I hadn’t, over a year ago, switched to reading digital as opposed to print comics. I feel a bit robbed of the tactile sensations of the hobby – of the turn of the page, the sneaking look to the panel a page over, the bagging and shorting and stacking and filing. Though I read my comics in a different medium than I used to, I still treat each Wednesday (comic book delivery day to specialty shops around the country) as different from the other days of the week. I subscribe and now, rather than go to the comic store to be handed the books pulled for my “Hold Slot,” I click a button on my iPad and watch them download.

Then I read them.

Rare is the week that I don’t read them all between Wednesdays and some weeks I have, well… let’s just say more comic books in my digital downloads than a grown man should. Comic book legend Will Eisner (creator of The Spirit) is one of the most influential men even to put pencil to drawing board in the pursuit of making comics. So influential was he that the industry awards (think the Oscars or the Emmys or the Grammys) are named The Eisner Awards. He called comic books “sequential art,” perhaps because he became embarrassed by his profession when he had to admit what he did for a living. This is my weekly reaction to the comics I read.

I read 12 comics last week: The All New Captain America #1, Batgirl#36, Spider-Verse #1,  Captain America and the Mighty Avengers #1, Batman Eternal #32, Wytches #2, Avengers and X-Men: Axis #5, Batman #36, Justice League United #6, Miles Morales: Ultimate Spider-Man #7, Star Trek: Harlan Ellison’s City on the Edge of Forever #5 and Star Trek #38.

The best comic I read last week was Batman #36.

 

This was a tough week to pick my favorite read. It’s going to be when one has 12 titles from which to choose! Making things more difficult is the fact that many of the comics I read this week were really, really good. The final issue of the Harlan Ellison Star Trek miniseries lived up to the quality of the rest of the series. All New Captain America #1 was a great debut for the Sam Wilson Cap. Batgirl #36 continued the terrific reboot of that character. I should also mention I am really enjoying Spider-Verse.

But, I am both pleased and afraid to say that, as long as Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo are in charge of Batman as a character and his eponymous comic book itself, I can pencil in Batman as my favorite book every time it appears.

Snyder and Capullo move from epic to epic. “Endgame” is their follow-up to “Zero Year” but it really is their sequel to “Death of the Family.” Yes, the Joker is back and, yes, this was on of the best kept secrets in comics since Marvel’s Thunderbolts were revealed as villains. When the Joker appeared in the final panel of Batman #35, fans were shocked. I was shocked.

That’s fun.

Pitting Batman against a Joker-ized Justice League is a home run, but it’s not just because audiences love to see heroes fight heroes (which we do), but because of the brilliance of Batman’s strategy in facing his friends in battle (proving that he IS the most dangerous man in the DC Universe) and the brilliance of the manner in which Snyder writes the character. He’s concerned about the League, but he’s ready to put them down. He tries to keep the battle away from civilians, but he has to engage Alfred and Julia Pennyworth (“Penny One” and “Penny Two”) to help him.

All of this is great follow to Act One of “Endgame” from Batman #35, but #36 really gets cooking when the Joker is revealed in the flesh, as it were, and he and Batman confront one another face-to-face. The seeds of the Joker’s return have been planted in many different issues of Batman-based books and it’s fun to see it all come together.

What is different about this story is that all Joker-Batman dynamics seem to be blown up. This is not a story about two sides of the same coin. This is not a yin and yang approach to the enemies. This is not an illustration of how these two characters need each other and how they reveal things about one another.

This is about the Joker deciding to demolish Batman in the most frightening and damaging way possible. Scary and good stuff. Great issue.

The Best Sequential Art I Read Last Week – October 8 – 14, 2014

I am a comic book collector and happy to be sure. I might say “proud” if I hadn’t, over a year ago, switched to reading digital as opposed to print comics. I feel a bit robbed of the tactile sensations of the hobby – of the turn of the page, the sneaking look to the panel a page over, the bagging and shorting and stacking and filing. Though I read my comics in a different medium than I used to, I still treat each Wednesday (comic book delivery day to specialty shops around the country) as different from the other days of the week. I subscribe and now, rather than go to the comic store to be handed the books pulled for my “Hold Slot,” I click a button on my iPad and watch them download.

Then I read them.

Rare is the week that I don’t read them all between Wednesdays and some weeks I have, well… let’s just say more comic books in my digital downloads than a grown man should. Comic book legend Will Eisner (creator of The Spirit) is one of the most influential men even to put pencil to drawing board in the pursuit of making comics. So influential was he that the industry awards (think the Oscars or the Emmys or the Grammys) are named The Eisner Awards. He called comic books “sequential art,” perhaps because he became embarrassed by his profession when he had to admit what he did for a living. This is my weekly reaction to the comics I read.

I read 8 comics last week: Batman Eternal #27, Axis #1, Batman #35, Superman/Wonder Woman #12, Amazing Spider-Man#7, Avengers #36, Wytches #1 and Justice League United #5.

The comic that most arrested my attention, that I thought was the best read of the week and that I most enjoyed was Batman #35. 

Scott Snyder (who also wrote Wytches #1) is my favorite writer working right now. If a comic has his name on it, it’s worth a reader’s attention. Currently, only Snyder, can break me out of my main-stream comic fixation and inspire me to buy a small publisher comic like Wythces and, what is amazing about Snyder, is that he handles horror and small press along with big-action, large press superhero work with equal skill.  Batman #35 is Snyder at his best.

Having just concluded ambitious arc (the re-telling of Batman’s earliest adventure called “Zero Year”), one couldn’t blame Snyder if he wanted to take a breather.  Rather than doing that, Snyder writes the first chapter of a new story that immediately introduces high stakes and high action.  Pitting Batman against enraged members of The Justice League is big enough, but Snyder ups the ante when he reveals the source of Batman’s allies’ rage.  Take my word for it: this revaluation is a shocker.

 

Greg Capullo continues strong work here and seeing his renditions of The Justice Leaguers makes me think there isn’t anything he cannot draw.  He’s a natural storyteller and I would love  to see him stay with Snyder on this title for years to come.  They are rumored to stay until issue 50.  I hope this is true.

Oh, and it shouldn’t go without mention that DC Comics raised the price of Batman this month much to the chagrin of Snyder and Capullo.  The two creators convinced the publisher to change the price back.

Nice touch.

There is not a better superhero book on the market currently.  This is a book I look forward to every month.

 

My Top Ten Media Moments of 2013

I make no apologies for the fact that I am a lover of all kinds of media and I consider “media” a big-tent-term: books, movies, television, theater, comic books, news, I consider it all “media and I love it.  All of it.

To close out the year (my first year blogging, by-the-way), I present my personal Top Ten Media Moments of the past twelve months. They are presented in 10 – 1 (1 being my Top Moment) with a few particular rules:

I had to see/experience them (sorry, Breaking Bad, I know you’re great… I just didn’t catch on – I am sure I will some day).

They didn’t have to begin this year (check my Turn off the Dark entry).

They could be from any of the categories mentioned above.

TOP TEN MEDIA MOMENTS – 2013

10.  Todd Helton Retires

I’ve followed Helton’s career since he came to the Colorado Rockies and supplanted Andres Galarraga at first base. There have mainly been “ups” for the so-called “Greatest Rockie of All Time” and I was pleased to watch him go out with such class, pleased to see one of the last games of the last home stand in which he played and pleased to see the Denver Broncos give him a great ceremony at Sports Authority Field in the fall. Thanks for the memories, Todd.

Photo from The Denver Post

9.  These Are the Voyages

Marc Cushman’s tell-all about the first season of Star Trek was so engrossing, I didn’t want to put it down and I didn’t want it to end. I am something of a Star Trek expert in-my-own-right (something of which I am actually proud) and thought I knew just about everything about the original series. Boy, was I wrong. Marc Cushman wrote an amazing book. I eagerly await the next two volumes.

Photo from Amazon.com

8.  Twitter Celebs

I got into Twitter this year! I really found it a lot of fun. I really sound like I am one hundred years old! I was a bit star-struck, twice, when comic book celebrities responded to my tweets. First, Scott Snyder, writer of Batman and Superman Unchained and The Wake for DC Comics commented on a tweet concerning personal comic creator power rankings compiled with my good friend The Junior Senator. We’d ranked Snyder number six, tweeted the rankings to him (and others) to which he responded “I really like the guy at six.” Goosebumps. Then, for Halloween, I tweeted the picture below to the writer and artist of Daredevil. The artist, Chris Samnee, responded “awesome!” That is just how I felt.

I shaved my goatee to be blind lawyer Matt Murdock (Daredevil’s alter ego) for this photo. TOTALLY worth it.

7.  Binge Television

The Cinnamon Girl binged on shows both old and new… Sherlock, Downton Abbey, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and, my favorite The Newsroom. We watched seven episodes of the latter all in one night!

Photo from HBO.com

6.  My Comic Books Go Digital 

I spent the year weaning myself from newsprint. It was harder than I imagined it would be. However, I read some great books! Batman, Hawkeye, Daredevil, The Superior Spider-Man, Justice League and Forever Evil really kept feeding my comic addiction. There’s something about pressing “Download New Titles” on a Wednesday morning that is very, very cool.

Photo from DCComics.com

5.  Peyton Manning, All Things Peyton Manning

The year may have started rocky with the Denver Broncos (the less said about last January, the better) but it’s ended in brilliant fashion. Stretch suggested it was a privilege to watch Manning play this year. He’s right. Magical and fun. Peyton Manning has been truly remarkable.

Did you see Gatorade’s tribute “51 and Counting”? Take a look:

4.  Superman’s 75th Anniversary

The first and greatest hero had a remarkable year. The comic stories might have not always been terrific (though the year finished very well with the aforementioned Mr. Snyder taking on Superman Unchained) but the character had the media presence he deserved thanks to Man of Steel which was a colossal hit. The sequel Batman/Superman is on the way and I, for one, am glad to see the character who started it all so relevant this year.  Spoiler alert: Batman’s 75th is 2014… I bet DC Comics has big things planned…

logo from DCComics.com

3.  Pope Francis

Restoring faith. Defining mission. Bringing hope.

I am in awe.

Time Magazine’s Man of the Year

2.  “My name is Khan.”

My favorite movie moment of the year came in my favorite movie of the year: Star Trek Into Darkness. Though I felt the reveal of Benedict Cumberbatch as famous Trek villain Khan Noonien Singh was coming, I wasn’t sure until he said the words… and, when he did, shivers went down many spines, mine included. I loved the film and even now, with months between my initial reaction and now, I still think it’s one of the best Star Trek films ever made. Maybe, just maybe, the best.

1.  Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark/Song of Spider-Man

The Broadway musical Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark is closing. I’ve seen it. Twice. This summer, the family and I went to New York and saw the show on Broadway. What a fun night. It’s not a great show, though the music is mighty good – thanks U2 and Reeve Carney (the star of the show). What’s amazing (pun intended) about it is that it is spectacular (pun intended). Really spectacular. Spider-men swinging over the stage, jumping from balconies, flying through the air. I loved, loved, loved sharing this with The Cinnamon Girl, HJ jr, Stretch and Sous Chef.

Oh, and the book Song of Spider-Man by Glen Berger that The Cinnamon Girl gave me for my birthday about the writing of the show was just as terrific. I read it in two nights. what a story!

Comic Creator Power Rankings – Second Edition

Each month, The Junior Senator and I will collaborate on our own Comic Writer Power Rankings for the prior month. This is our October Edition and it’s published on his terrific blog Socratic Review. That’s a blog everyone should add to their readers.

While he and I agree on a great many things (as the Emperor would say), there are some differences of opinion and, while we will collaborate monthly on the rankings, we’ll include our distinctive comments! In the process of building the list, we’re taking into account sales data as well. Some of these dudes move a lot of comics!

And here … we … go.

Find this month’s edition HERE.

Comic Writer Power Rankings First Edition

Each month, The Junior Senator (find his blog HERE) and I will collaborate on our own Comic Writer Power Rankings for the prior month. Welcome to the first installment! While he and I agree on a great many things (as the Emperor would say), there are some differences of opinion and, while we will collaborate monthly on the rankings, we’ll include our distinctive comments! In the process of building the list, we’re taking into account sales data as well. Some of these dudes move a lot of comics!

And here … we … go.

Honorable Mentions

THE JUNIOR SENATOR SAYS: Brian Wood, whose new ʺX-Womenʺ series is off to a good start, even if this month’s Battle of the Atom tie-in was just average. And while I’m waiting for the trade, I continue to hear good things about his Star Wars on-going.

I SAY: Peter Tomasi who made the character Damien Wayne come to life in such a way that Morrison’s final stories featuring him had more emotional punch than they would have. Additionally, his Bane issue of the Forever Evil ʺpointsʺ was truly outstanding and illustrated what the New 52 should be.

TEN: Mike Allred

TITLES: FF #12

DIAMOND DISTRIBUTORS SALES DATA: FF (#124)

THE JUNIOR SENATOR SAYS: Lee Allred deserves credit for picking up where Fraction left off on this title. It probably helps that he’s working with his brother doing the art, but the tone that made this such a fun, quirky title seems to have (so far) continued.

I SAY: There is no art that says ʺcomic bookʺ to me more than Allred’s. His writing is in line with that reaction. I eagerly await his Fraction-less take on FF, not that I haven’t enjoyed Fraction here. I have very much. If he’s been an influence thus far – and I believe that he has – we’re in for a treat.

NINE: Matt Fraction

TITLES: Satellite Sam #3, Sex Criminals #1

DIAMOND DISTRIBUTORS SALES DATA: Sex Criminals (#54) and Satellite Sam (#182)

THE JUNIOR SENATOR SAYS: Two months ago, I might’ve called Fraction my favorite writer, with his work on Hawkeye, Fantastic Four, and FF, plus my reading his old run on Iron Man. Now? Sex Criminals was pretty good (a strange sentence to write), but I just haven’t gotten into Satellite Sam yet, and we were without any Hawkguy for the entire month.

I SAY: Hey, Hawkguy? Where be you? Fraction is terrific (and I am a sucker for his personal life being married to fellow scribe Kelly Sue deConnick) but I need MORE. NOW! The independent stuff … I am trying to get into it, but am waiting for The Junior Senator to say “do it.”

EIGHT: Greg Pak

TITLES: Batman/Superman #23.1 – Doomsday

DIAMOND DISTRIBUTORS SALES DATA: Batman/Superman (#21)

THE JUNIOR SENATOR SAYS: I only read two of DC’s 23.x issues–this and the Joker. This Doomsday issue was actually decent, and Pak deserves credit for what I think is shaping up to be a strong series.

I SAY: What Pak has done at Marvel is well documented and I am loving what he’s doing with Batman/Superman. It’s a compelling, if a bit confusing, take on the icons.

SEVEN: Brian K. Vaughn

TITLES: Saga #12

DIAMOND DISTRIBUTORS SALES DATA: Saga (#26)

THE JUNIOR SENATOR SAYS: Rare is the month when Saga isn’t the best comic I read. If it were up to me, of course, I’d have it nearer the top, but since my compatriot won’t read anything ʺindepedent,ʺ here we are. Still, issue #12 was really great, and as always I don’t think there’s a better blend of writing and art.

I SAY: I have to defer to The Junior Senator on this one… but the trades I’ve read of Saga are really, really good. I am trying!

SIX: Scott Snyder

TITLES: The Wake #4

DIAMOND DISTRIBUTORS SALES DATA: The Wake (#88)

THE JUNIOR SENATOR SAYS: Snyder will usually be much higher for me, but he took the month off of Batman. Still, The Wake has been very good, and I’m surprised at how much I continue to enjoy it, only because I wouldn’t normally consider ʺhorrorʺ to be my genre.

I SAY: Snyder is my number one guy right now. Who else can handle both Batman and Superman as well? Who else could get me into an ʺindependentʺ comic like The Wake? Answer: no one.

FIVE: Jason Aaron

TITLES: Thor #13, Wolverine and the X-Men #36

DIAMOND DISTRIBUTORS SALES DATA: Thor (#25), Wolverine and the X-Men (#39)

THE JUNIOR SENATOR SAYS: Aaron’s contribution to the Battle of the Atom event was nothing special, but the problems are mostly the same as with all the other writers in that event. Thor’s new arc, conveniently starring the same antagonist as the new movie, is off to a good start.

I SAY: I was underwhelmed by the latest arc of Wolverine and the X-Men, but Aaron’s been so consistently good, he deserves the recognition.

FOUR: Geoff Johns

TITLES: Forever Evil #1, Aquaman #23, Aquaman #23.2

DIAMOND DISTRIBUTORS SALES DATA: Forever Evil (#1), Aquaman (#61, #159)

THE JUNIOR SENATOR SAYS: I will try not to repeat this same comment every month, but I just don’t read much DC, and nothing from the Justice League family, including this new event. I enjoy getting the summaries from my compatriot every week though.

I SAY: In my mind Johns is about to leap higher… once we’re done with the Forever Evil ʺpointʺ issues and we’re deeper into Forever Evil and Justice League, we’ll see Johns change the DC Universe. Again. I might even forgive him for unmasking Nightwing.

THREE: Mark Waid

TITLES: Daredevil #31, Indestructible Hulk #13

DIAMOND DISTRIBUTORS SALES DATA: Daredevil (#60) Hulk (#47)

THE JUNIOR SENATOR SAYS: Waid writes the most consistently great comic (Daredevil) and another consistently good one (Hulk). I only wish he were writing more popular characters to get the recognition–and sales–he deserves. By quality alone, he should be in the top three every month.

I SAY: The only thing on our list keeping Waid at #3 – as far as I am concerned – is his numbers which are criminally low. No one knows more comic history than Waid and no one distills it better in his writing. To call his take on Daredevil “loving” is an understatement. He loved this character back to life after some terrible stories. He’s working similar magic on the Hulk.

TWO: Brian Michael Bendis

TITLES: All New X-Men #16, Battle of the Atom #1, Uncanny X-Men #12, Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man #27

DIAMOND DISTRIBUTORS SALES DATA: All New X-Men (#12), Battle of the Atom (#4), Uncanny X-Men (#16), Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man (#81)

THE JUNIOR SENATOR SAYS: If my problem with Hickman is that his stories are too big, Bendis is the opposite: he’s telling small stories (which is his strength), but trying to draw them out to big events. Battle of the Atom started out strong, but is already feeling a bit… padded.

I SAY: Bendis is wordy, no doubt. He can cram more words in a panel than anyone. He gives good events (bracketing Age of Ultron). This is a good event. Not great, but good enough for #2. And his creation of the Miles Morales Spider-Man from the Ultimate Universe has, surprisingly, been under the radar recently. It shouldn’t be.

ONE: Johnathan Hickman

TITLES: Infinity #2, Avengers #19, Infinity #3, Avengers #20, East of West #6

DIAMOND DISTRIBUTORS SALES DATA: Infinity (#2, #3), Avengers (#9, #17), New Avengers (#10), East of West (#77, #1 Trade Paperback)

THE JUNIOR SENATOR SAYS: Hickman is far from my favorite writer, but I’m starting to warm up to both Infinty and East of West. Plus, it’s hard to ignore those sales numbers.

I SAY: I will grant my friend the sales numbers here. They are what put Hickman over the top to the Number One position this month. My only caveat: I feel like a pretty smart guy (the stating of which ʺfactʺ probably betrays that I am not) and I don’t always understand Hickman. I think I like him a lot, though.

That’s if for this month! See you next time!

The Best Sequential Art I Read Last Week (8.14 – 8.21)

I am a comic book collector and happy to be sure. I might say “proud” if I hadn’t, over a year ago, switched to reading digital as opposed to print comics. I feel a bit robbed of the tactile sensations of the hobby – of the turn of the page, the sneaking look to the panel a page over, the bagging and shorting and stacking and filing.

Though I read my comics in a different medium than I used to, I still treat each Wednesday (comic book delivery day to specialty shops around the country) as different from the other days of the week.

I subscribe and now, rather than go to the comic store to be handed the books pulled for my “Hold Slot,” I click a button on my iPad and watch them (painfully slowly on my first generation device) download.

Then I read them.

Rare is the week that I don’t read them all between Wednesdays and some weeks I have, well… let’s just say more comic books in my digital downloads than a grown man should.

Comic book legend Will Eisner (creator of The Spirit) is one of the most influential men even to put pencil to drawing board in the pursuit of making comics. So influential was he that the industry awards (think the Oscars or the Emmys or the Grammys) are named The Eisner Awards. He called comic books “sequential art,” perhaps because he became embarrassed by his profession when he had to admit what he did for a living.

This is my weekly reaction to the comics I read. I consumed 10 comics last week: X-Men #2, Star Trek#24, Batman #23, Worlds’ Finest #15 (DROPPED THIS WEEK), Nightwing #23, Wolverine and the X-Men #34, Uncanny X-Men #10, Justice League of America #7, Fantastic Four #11 and Infinity #1.

The comic that most arrested my attention, that I thought was the best read of the week and that I most enjoyed was Batman #23.

Author Scott Snyder is quickly becoming one of the most reliable writers in comics. There was trepidation when DC Comics announced this year-long story arc in Batman called Zero Year. As it was a re-telling of Batman’s origin, there were opinions far-and-wide about how well it would turn out. Batman’s origin is venerated ground and many didn’t want Snyder mucking with it.

So the writer, ably assisted by Greg Capullo on art, did something very smart: he made Gotham City an urban wasteland unlike any Gotham that’s ever been seen in the comics or on film. He placed a young Bruce Wayne into it – a Bruce Wayne finding himself, one at odds with his butler and confidant Alfred Pennyworth and one trying to re-claim the city of his birth from the Red Hood Gang – a group of criminals who Batman fans know may (or may not) be connected to the Joker.

It’s pretty heady stuff and pretty hallowed ground. It is a story that feels – to me – like why DC blew up their continuity and started “The New 52” in the first place. Concepts are refreshed in Snyder’s hands. Batman has rarely looked better than he does in Capullo’s art.

There is a powerful moment – one readers had to be expecting – in Batman #23 when the bat flies – finally – through the Wayne Manor window and inspires Bruce to take up his quest. It’s played out in such original fashion that it felt neither stale nor like an homage.

It felt original.

For Snyder to put an original spin on a story that’s been told and re-told time and again, that’s saying something.

Another Superman Event this Week?

Nearer and dearer to my heart than movies – really! – are comic books. I’ve been collecting them for years and, though I now download them digitally to an iPad (a wholly unsatisfying experience for me but there’s no comic store close to where The Cinnamon Girl and I have moved our family, dammit!), I still look forward to Comic Book Day every Wednesday.

As hard as it is to capture Superman on film and to tell a good and relevant motion picture story about this American icon (I think Man of Steel does a great job; judging by the decidedly mixed reviews for Man of Steel, others do not), it seems an equally hard task to do it in the comics. 

There have been excellent Superman stories (Birthright by Mark Waid and Leinil Yu, Superman for All Seasons by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale and All Star Superman by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely LEAP to mind) of course, but the “normal,” on going Superman titles often struggle to weave solid narratives.

DC Comics has given writer-of-the-moment Scott Snyder and superstar artist (and DC co-publisher) Jim Lee a shot at making Superman work in comics again in the new title Superman: Unchained.

To commemorate, and here’s the FUN PART FOR EVERYONE WHO LIKES SUPERMAN, they commissioned a number of variant covers tracing Superman’s comic book history for the first issue. You can see them (and an interview with Dad Didio, DC co-publisher along with Jim Lee) HERE.